Broken Chains introduces three generations of women trapped in an abusive reactionary lifestyle.

The author's ability to reach out to her readers through her main character, 'Silvana', a heroine in many cases, is not only intuitive and empathetic but also very effective.

As you read each word, you will be drawn deeper into Silvana's life.
You will take on a deep sense of her fears and loneliness of the many abusive generational relationships she faces to the point that they will become your own.
You will feel Silvana's confusion as she struggles with her religious beliefs, seeking strength and guidance that will free her from a roller-coaster of abusive relationships.
Her innate behavior to protect her children which provides her with an inner strength to break free from the chains of abuse are commendable and heroic, hense the word 'Heroine', being used earlier in this review.
Silvana's story is truly a voice of strength, promise and hope that a victim can walk away and move past a life of abuse.
Broken Chains is a compelling and heartfelt story, written with not only the authors heart and soul, but also her need to educate others who may be victims of abuse.
In itself this book can be used as a very resourceful hind-site for all victims of abuse.

The initial focus throughout this book indirectly deals with the dynamics and scars of abuse.

This story sends several very strong and encouraging messages to victims of abuse and to those who are amidst its struggles.

1. It is NOT your fault,
2. Abuse of any form is unacceptable,
3. You have the right to walk away,
4. You can forgive in order to move forward.

Womensselfesteem.com: highly recommends Broken Chains for all victims of abuse. As much as it is an emotional and horrific journey, reading Broken Chains most definitely promises positive messages of hope and freedom from abuse. It is one of the most motivational stories I have read to date.

A few month ago I have translated Broken Chains into Russian language. I must say Broken Chains is a fascinating novel, the primary merits and strengths of Broken Chains are its sincerity and originality. The author is a woman who was raised in a Muslim multinational setting, thereby becoming acquainted with the customs, traditions, and peculiarities of life in different countries and even different continents. In addition, she has had the unique opportunity to communicate with a wide spectrum of people from varying cultural backgrounds and outlooks on life. All this has culminated in her relating in fictional form (throughout riveting pages) her multifaceted life experiences and a wealth of knowledge. In her novel the story line seems so natural, including engaging dialogue. Ahmadova describes her characters so vividly and clearly that readers will not view them as uniform and unipolar. Each elicits sympathy or antipathy in a natural manner. Before encountering the protagonist, readers will learn the dramatic story of her mother's life, followed by that of her grandmother. Such an opening permits readers not only to trace the relationships among generations, but also to assess the influence of parental conduct on the lives of the descendants. Nonetheless, the chain of "hereditary damage" is derailed by the protagonist's faith and hope in God in reaching out for salvation. The main character, Silvana, finds inner strength to change the trajectory of her life and, in turn, transforms the lives of many around her suffering alone and in silence, also feeling shackled and chained down by paralyzing fear and hopeless despair enveloping their human condition. In this way, Silvana becomes a role model for all of them, living proof that fundamental human happiness is in their own hands and can make all the difference, together with not only hard work and an unceasingly and unquestionable faith in God, but also an insatiable desire to make a difference on this earth.

At the core of her novel Broken Chains, the author Emiliya Ahmadova examines three generations of women: Sadaget, the grandmother; Esmira, the single mother; and Silvana, the dutiful granddaughter and mother herself. These interrelationships betray rivalries, jealousies, and vendettas, culminating in Silvana's Christian and Muslim intermarriage. These women's clashes with overbearing and abusive males lie at the core of the novel's message about redemption and victory over neglect and negligence.

The novel provides an incisive treatment of abuse in all forms: sexual, familial, marital, and parental. Ahmadova takes us into Silvana's inner world of turmoil, and her narrative appeals to not only English-speaking women readers, but also men in marriages that are dysfunctional. Moving is the percipient candor of the narrator--her struggles, her ambitions, and her eventual victory over abuse and through a headstrong focus on achieving what we all deserve in life: happiness and independence. Such a victory serves as an inspiration and role model for all of us in a world gone insane with divisiveness, deception, and deceit. The author serves as an admirable and worthy mentor for everyone.

Ahmadova invites women everywhere regardless of boundaries who are overwrought in their kitchen by demanding husbands or micromanaged at their jobs by male misogynists to escape into the world of Silvana and the exotic locales of the Middle East. In intermarrying, she combats a Christian monster and, as a result, a divided and mutinous Muslim family in an effort not only to declare her dreamt independence, but also to pursue her deserved happiness, all universal aspirations in a world fraught by conflicts, collisions, and confrontations of religions, nationalities, and genders. You will find similarities to your own lives, yet Ahmadova exposes the intricacies of Islam when it comes to love beyond its borders.

Emiliya Amadova's book 'Broken Chains' is very compelling. It is an enjoyable read. It takes you into the unfamiliar world of Azerbaijan,before going to Kenya and Canada. The book gives good insights into how women sometimes are victimized by abusers, and how they can get free. Teh intergenerational nature of victimization was made very clear through the tragic stories of the grandmother, mother and daughter. Christian faith shines through a rather tortured journey of guilt, shame, fear and regret. The book's ending has the heroine sharing at a conference on how to say no to abusers. The ending would benefit from being tightened up.
Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, author of Restoring Health: body, mind and spirit.

Domestic abuse, both physical and verbal, traps so many people but this important book can hopefully help those who are suffering finally break free from their shackles. Broken Chains is an uncomfortable read as you witness the damage two selfish, abusive men wreak on three generations of women. You read on in the hope that Silvana won't suffer the same anguish as her mother but in the expectation that her own marriage will end up equally doomed. Broken Chains highlights how easy it is for women to end up imprisoned in their own homes and how hard it can be for them to free themselves from abusive relationships. However, it ultimately offers hope by showing that no matter how bleak things become, people still have the power to control their own destiny if they are brave enough to stand up to those who are oppressing them. Silvana ultimately finds this inner strength with the help of her religion and this book also examines how the faith of those who suffer is tested throughout their darkest moments.

It is said that there are certain cycles that are extremely difficult to break. Chief among them are poverty and abuse. It takes a person of stalwart resolution and faith to break those chains and fly free.
In the case of Silvana’s family, the cycle continues through several generations and across several countries. From Mariya, Silvana’s great-grandmother, to Sadaget the grandmother, and then to Esmira, and her daughter Silvana, the abuse or neglect spreads down like a genetic plague. The mothers try too hard to keep their daughters from making the mistakes they made themselves, and the daughters rebel by inadvertently choosing men who are just as bad as their own fathers—whether or not they ever met them.
Silvana has an advantage over her female relatives, though. She knows she is worth much more than her mother keeps telling her (abuse finds itself into the next generation in more than one way).
The story begins with the meeting of Esmira and Samed, who fathers Silvana. This relationship is rocky at the beginning, and ends badly. Silvana loves her dad nonetheless, and rankles at her mother’s and grandmother’s severe infringements on her freedom. When she finds Mark, she is sure he will be her source of freedom.
Instead, the nightmare is only made worse. Through the birth and raising of four children, Silvana never finds the freedom she thought she would have. That is, not until she believes in herself enough to make the first step from the emotional cage she’d been subjected to.
She never gives up, and this is the core and message of the book. The ending is very believable, and the journey there only too real.
This is a very important book for anyone who wishes to find their way out of the cycle, or for those who want to help someone who is abused.
I highly recommend it.

For an author whose first language is not English, this book is pretty well-written. There are a few stumbles but nothing that cannot be overlooked, as the story is pretty intense. It is a story about generational abuse, and it is as sad and painful as it sounds, but the story is compelling. It also brings out a light that shows there is hope even when the life being led is dismal. A heartbreakingly inspirational subject that is more true than fiction.